Customer Reviews

Homo Politicus: The Strange and Scary Tribes that Run Our Government

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Politics is the art of the ego, with Congressional egos like an exercise in finger painting by kiddies run amok in the absence of grownups.

Every politician knows at least one thing: "I was elected by a majority." (Some know more than one thing.) One fact that never goes away is their "majority" vindication, proof enough of their superiority to all. Their ultimate answer to every argument is, "I was elected, you weren't."

In Washington, as in London, Ottawa, Berlin and any place where democracy has taken root, politics is the chaos of hundreds of self-righteous steroid-enhanced egos. Sorry folks, it's a fact. Normally, reporters cover only the results of such mayhem; this book is a rare first-hand insight into the messy process. Milbank is a gem, exposing the folly of egos without restraint or common sense. (Trust me. I've been there. He might have been at least mildly amused, if not somewhat delighted, in some examples of what I wrote, said or did. At least, I hope so.)

The first advice in covering politics is, "Don't foul your own nest." In other words, don't write about follies that embarass our esteemed elected representatives of the people. Write about results. Politicians thrive on stories about bills passed (or blocked), provided such stories have some of their wise or witty "cleaned up" quotes. The bulk of "political reporting" is duly sanitized to explain results, instead of the uncleaned mess. Think of potty-training or 'TidyBowl' at work, and you get the idea.

It's Prince Otto von Bismarck's "sausage" example; people don't want to know the greasy details of making sausage (or laws), they want to know only if it tastes good and is safe (or if the law won't hurt them too much). It's always been like this; it's rarely exposed as skilfully as in this book.

This book comes at an unusual time; public confidence in the presidency and Congress is at depressing lows. Thoughtful Americans are looking for reasons. It makes this intelligent and thus devastating look at the "greasy details" of politics very appropriate for 2008.

As for egos in politics, they'll never disappear. However, this book may persuade at least some politicians to think a little before they speak a lot. This beautiful insight into politics could only be improved by a new compilation every two years to ask voters, "Do you really intend to vote for this egomaniac again?"

A beautiful book.

I laughed right out loud as I read this book on an airplane. Loud enough for stares. I loved the creative approach of using an anthropological lens to look at the workings of Washington's government and its hangers-on. Creative. I'm not sure what the negative reviewers were expecting. Just reflecting our up-tight cultural world, I guess. If you want a funny, insightful analysis of the DC power relations that rings all to true, this is it. Relax. Enjoy. Come away enlightened. (Caveat: I am an anthropologist.)

This book just barely gets three stars. It's not bad; but it could have been better.

I knew before I bought it that this was more of a political humor than a political science book. That's regrettable because Homo's anthropological conceit is worth a closer look.

What you get here, instead, is an extended series of personality sketches and vignettes describing all the flaps, gaffs, spats, scandals and outrages our "leaders" in Washington have subjected us to over the last eight years, give or take. Milbank attempts to group these into an absurdist pseudo-academic study of Beltway culture, but there's no real insight here, no attempt to see the forest through the trees. The chapters breeze by, and I got some yuks, but by the end, I wasn't satisfied.

And most, if not all, the stories and personalities are well known, or at least have been written about elsewhere. The few that haven't aren't interesting. Does anyone really care what pubs Democrats frequent and what restaurants Republicans dine at?

It feels like a rush job for Milbank. (My fingers keep wanting to type "Milkbank" for some reason.) Had he taken more time for research, he might have come up with something more memorable. At the very least, he would have been able to devote a section to Larry Craig.

Finally, is that Dick Cheney on the cover?

Dana Milbank's latest book is written from the perspective of a social anthropologist studying the strange culture and customs of "Potomac Land," and its people, the "Homo politicus" or "Potomac Man" - really Washington, D.C., and its denizens. Milbank adopts, indeed, the tone of a Victorian anthropologist, writing about the strange practices of the "natives" with the Victorian outsider's typical conceit of presumed cultural superiority, comparing "Potomac man" to other non-Western cultures.

Such a parody might have been hilarious in 1928. It might have been funny still in 1958. But in 2008, it really does not work. Not in my opinion, at least. If twenty-first century readers miss the parody of Victorian style, as I fear most will, Milbank's comparisons of Washington, D.C. politics and beltway society to non-Western cultures and aboriginal societies are apt to come off as culturally insensitive - to say the least.

What's more, the affectation produces a stilted style that greatly detracts from the book's readability.

That Milbank's sharp wit nonetheless manages to redeem the book, is testimony to what a good writer he is.

He ably covers the scandals of the last few years, slinging mud at the Democrats with as much glee as he does at the Republicans. In fact, I'd advise against wearing white when you read this book. You might get splattered!.

Eric Alan Isaacson

I know Dana Milbank mostly from his tv commentary, so it was a great treat to read his new book, "Homo Politicus". His tongue-in-cheek, but always dead on characterizations of those in Washington who purport to represent us and otherwise carry out the nation's business, are most welcome at a time when the president's and Congress's favorable ratings are at an all time low. The nation's capitol has never been short of those seeking self-aggrandizement and Milbank, always with a fine-tuned eye and ear, gives us "the goods" on so many of them. It's a wonder anything ever gets done down there.

Applying ancient and modern tribal behavior to the the men and women who serve in Washington and those attached to them is one of the aspects that make "Homo Politicus" so enjoyable. Milbank's flair as a writer is to tweak and he does so with aplomb. While generally more critical of the GOP, not surprisingly, the author reminds the reader that both sides can play the holier than thou game. If you follow politics, Milbank has an array of devils from which to choose in "Potomac Land". He features not only the well-known rogues in Congress but adds flavor when he cites certain bars and restaurants that cater only to Republicans or only to Democrats. The fact that the Bush twins could have so much influence on the night life in D.C. is remarkable...and funny. The chapter about the after hours party life is also as comical as it might be unbelievable, to an outsider. It's hard to pick a chapter that stands out more than another (because they're all good) but when the author gets going about the sexual peccadillos of the men and women in "Potomac Land"...well....then we get into some real comedy. But there is a serious side to all of this, too. The hypocrisy is all too evident, especially, for instance, when members of Congress vote anti-gay legislation and then go out and practice it, themselves.

Dana Milbank has done a terrific job in presenting "Homo Politicus" and I highly recommend it. He's been around long enough to get a great view of the wackiest of towns in America and through so many different angles lets us know about it. C-SPAN gives us one side of Washington....happily, Dana Milbank gives us the other.

Milbank twists facts, taking quotes out of context so that they fit his preconceived argument, even when in fact, the full quote would reveal the speaker as giving the exact opposite message. I would not trust his reporting, and, since he is a journalist who feels himself to be "above" reading blogs, he is clearly arrogantly out of touch with where the media is going. And yet, he accuses others of hubris. Well, it is a trait he possesses in spades, and therefore knows from the inside out.

If you weren't already cynical about the stupid, immoral, crazy, and downright strange political leaders running our government, this book will get you there. Brimming with truth-is-stranger-than-fiction anecdotes, the book is a quick, depressing read that political junkies will nonetheless find fascinating. Dana Milbank presents the strange world of "Potomac Land" as an anthropologist would describe a foreign culture to an uneducated audience, a clever approach that makes the sad contents of this book livelier and easier to ingest. Includes a helpful "glossary" at the end which translates phrases such as "I have great respect for the senior senator" into their real meaning (I am about to drill my elderly colleague a new one).

This book is flippant and excessively cynical. It offers too little insight and too many cheap gags. Ultimately, it's a second-rate nightclub act masquerading as political insight.

The idea for the book is good: a sort of zoological tour of political types in the nation's capital. But it never goes much beyond a clever name and a stereotypical description, whether it's dealing with Christian conservatives or environmental activists.

In the end, this kind of facile categorization and attempted satire adds little to one's understanding of what makes Washington tick. If the book were funnier, it might be easier to forgive this.

Homo Politicus reveals the widespread corruption that presently corrodes our government Mr. Milbank uses the analogy of mystical practices among barbarians of every stripe from ancient Vikings to present-day primitive peoples. But this is only the icing. Mr. Milbank describes who is doing what and shows how politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists are pumping multi-millions of dollars of taxpayer money into their own pockets and "earmaking" millions more into that of their cronies.

Mr. Milbank's exposé of these amoral, unprincipled politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists show how in many cases they cater to the Religious Right to use rank and file evangelicals for their own ends. Some go as far as pronouncing an intimate relationship with God. However, the Religious Right's infiltration into politics is not the main thrust of Homo Politicus.

Although Mr. Milbank does not state it, a careful reading of his book shows the fundamental cause of government corruption: altruist/collectivist premises, premises that can only lead to being master or slave. Politicians, bureaucrats and lobbyists have no intention of becoming slaves. Accordingly, they demand that doctors and lawyers provide pro bono services, they command that students commit themselves to gratis community service, they order Americans to sacrifice themselves for the entire globe.

Mr. Milbank shows that Homo politicus has become Homo immoral. Rationality is replaced by manipulating others. Independent judgement is replaced by self-abnegation. Honesty is replaced by faking facts. Justice is replaced by a maneuvering for "status." Truly, Homo Politicus is a valuable revelation of how politicians, bureaucrats, lobbyists and the Religious Right are destroying American government.

I am not sure if I should be laughing or crying over the stories in this book. There is a mixture of disgust and hand wringing on my part after reading this book, but at the same time, there's this creepy fascination with the political situations that are prevalent in the Potamac land. It is disgusting, funny and sad all at the same time.

Let me say that this is not an attack on just the Republicans in Washington. There are attacks or shall I say, true stories that show Democrats running amok too. This is a book that shows human stupidity at its best in the one city where our so-called leaders are living and working. Milbank shows that they are all living in a bubble or Potomac Land if you will. He starts out by studying the tribe that lives in D.C. by comparing them to other ancient cultures. And he hits every one dead on.

I really don't have a favorite chapter in this book, but I do find it interesting and creepy. Yet, the people who live outside the Potomac Land continue to elect these people over and over ... The press is vilified in this book as well (though it wasn't till the very end of the book that he wrote about them and it wasn't very much either. Probably because he does work for the press.).

I have to warn you. It starts out strong and you'll find yourself laughing. But after awhile, it starts to get on your nerves because the stupidity never seems to end. The egos, the posturing and the exchange of sexual favors as well as money among themselves just wear on the nerves after awhile. And no one in Potomac Land is exempt from this anthropology.

It is interesting study and a very observant one. It is funny in spots. But it's not the best book on politics that I've read in awhile. It is a lighter read but it is also a disturbing read as well. If you really want to know how your representatives are in D.C., just check this book out. You never know. He/she might be one of those that is mentioned in this book.

3-25-08